Okay, now that you have recovered from you bout of laughter that anyone in Pattaya could be interested in such things, this is a serious inquiry. First some background, I am basically an atheist (and before that, a fairly serious Episcopalian, which, for anyone familiar with that branch of Christianity, is basically the same thing. I like to say that through the grace of the Episcopal tradition, I was lead to see the inherent contradictions in all religious faiths, which in turn lead to my conversion to atheism. They got some great music, however, and love those pipe-organs.)

I have always had a scientific bent, which was the basis for my questioning of religious belief, and I am very curious about the nexus of the Buddhist belief in the impermanence of all things (that all things are in a constant state of change and/or decay) and the difficulty of knowing "true" reality and the similar theories in physics like relativity and quantum theory.

Anyway, I have done some preliminary reading about Buddhism and viewed several documentaries on both the historical Buddha and Buddhism. I have also listened to some lectures on the topic (both from academics and practicing Buddhist teachers (it's amazing what's on iTunes); and seen the intro to Buddhism lectures available from the Buddhism.net site (the ones introduced by Richard Gere).

I am now interested in a more systemic introduction to the philosophy and practice of Buddhism. This would be mainly to see if the insights and meditative practices of Buddhism would be of benefit in level-headed, clear, and unemotional thinking. I was wondering if there were any places (temples or study-groups) in Pattaya that may fit this bill. It would have to be in English, as unfortunately, I am unable to read or write Thai (and certainly not Pali). As to Theravada or Mahayana it makes no difference but I would guess that being Thailand, Theravada is about the only way to go.

You might want to start by reading Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Bachelor.

One place worth looking into in Pattaya is Boonkanjanaram Meditation Center

Address :

386/27 Moo 12, Boonkanjanaram Soi 1

Sukhumvit K.M.150

Nong Prue, Bang Lamung

Pattaya, Chonburi

Thailand 20260

E-mail :[email protected]

Telephone :

President : Miss. Pakasiri Jantrupon

Land line: 0 3875 6352

Mobile Phone : 08 6142 2379

Teacher : Vitoon Voravises

0 3875 6907